Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malawi
Malawi: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 25.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
25.3%
Change on year
down 12.3%
World rank
35th
of 183 countries
All-time high
31.4%
in 2021
All-time low
7.8%
in 1999
Years of data
23
1999–2024
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malawi, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malawi is 25.3%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 12.3% on the previous year and up 21.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malawi peaked at 31.4% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 7.8%, in 1999.
Malawi ranks 35th of 183 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 7.8% | — |
| 2002 | 11.6% | +49.9% |
| 2004 | 19.4% | +66.4% |
| 2005 | 29.9% | +54.3% |
| 2006 | 27.1% | -9.2% |
| 2007 | 20.1% | -26.1% |
| 2008 | 16.0% | -20.5% |
| 2009 | 18.4% | +15.2% |
| 2010 | 20.9% | +13.7% |
| 2011 | 19.2% | -8.0% |
| 2012 | 19.9% | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 18.9% | -5.1% |
| 2014 | 20.9% | +10.8% |
| 2015 | 21.2% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 22.8% | +7.7% |
| 2017 | 17.3% | -24.4% |
| 2018 | 20.9% | +20.8% |
| 2019 | 22.5% | +7.8% |
| 2020 | 18.0% | -19.8% |
| 2021 | 31.4% | +73.7% |
| 2022 | 30.3% | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 28.9% | -4.7% |
| 2024 | 25.3% | -12.3% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 25.3% is below the median for low income countries, which is 39.7%, 64% of the median. (17 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 25.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 29.3%, 86% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.8% | 7.8% | 7.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 20.4% | 11.6% | 29.9% | 7 |
| 2010s | 20.5% | 17.3% | 22.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.8% | 18.0% | 31.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 32 Mozambique 28.0% compare
- 33 Togo 27.1% compare
- 34 Guyana 26.7% compare
- 36 Marshall Islands 24.5% compare
- 37 Bangladesh 23.9% compare
- 38 Solomon Islands 23.5% compare
More education data for Malawi
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 14,528 (2019)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1.25 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.16 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.75 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.7 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.2193 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4.75 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malawi?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Malawi was 25.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 31.4% in 2021.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.8% in 1999.
- How does Malawi rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Malawi ranks 35th out of 183 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release